Welcome back to Masterpiece of Horror Theatre, and today we take a look at the very influential slasher film Halloween. So, yeah, in 1976, action thriller Assault on Precinct 13 debuted, directed by relative newcomer John Carpenter, whose only previous credit was a dark satirical science fiction film called Dark Star. Among those who saw Assault were producer Irwin Yablans and financier Moustapha Akkad, who wanted Carpenter to make a film about a killer stalking babysitters. With the help of his then-girlfriend Debra Hill, Carpenter was able to churn out a script The Babysitter Killer, but was renamed Halloween by Yablans. Filmed for 20 days in 1978, and with a low budget of 300,000 dollars, it was a finacially successful, with 70 million in gross, but critically mixed. And we're looking at it today.
On Halloween day, 1963, 6 year old Michael Myers (Will Saldin) murders his older sister Judith (Sandy Johnson), and is forced to spend his life in an insane asylum. Years later, on Halloween Night, 1978, his psychaitrist Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) witnesses his escape, and is able to determine that he will head to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. There, a young girl Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) made plans to babysit her neighbor Tommy Doyle (Brian Andrews). In the background, Myers is stalking her using a car he stole from a farmer, after he spies Laurie in front of his old residence. Eventually, as night falls, Laurie is babysitting Tommy, while her friend Annie Brackett babysits a girl across the street, all while Myers watches. Meanwhile, Loomis and Anne's father Leigh (Charles Cyphers) try to locate Myers in the community. After Annie dumps her child, Lindsay Wallace (Kyle Richards) with Laurie, Myers makes his first move, strangling Annie in her car as she is going out to see her boyfriend. After Laurie's other friend Lynda van der Klook (P. J. Soles) and her boyfriend Bob arrive at the Wallace residence to.. ahem "frolick" around as it were, Myers offs them as well. Eventually, Laurie tucks the children in, and goes across the street, where she finally encounters Myers, who dumps her down the stairs. She survives and after failing to get help from a neighbor, goes back to the Doyle house, and instructs Tommy to lock their door. However, Myers infiltrates that house, and the two struggle, before Laurie is able to seemingly kill him. However, just as Laurie is calming down the kids, he climbs up the stairs, and engages her again. After she seemingly kills him again, he rises again, and almost kills her. However, she shakes him off, briefly reveals his face (which is very normal, despite the letters)and Dr. Loomis (tipped off by Tommy and Lindsay after Laurie instructs them to go find help) shots Myers over a window. However, when he looks down from said window, he has vanished....
Okay, first off, this was terrifying. It had a number of effective scares, which stems from its excellent use of tension. Every scene builds its tension, slowly building up the kill, and then catching you by surprise when it does happen. You know it's going to happen, but you are biting your nails waiting for it to happen. That is how you create an intense jumpscare. Not making fakeout scares, which will create mild surprise by causing a spike in the score, which subsides very quickly, like most of modern horror does. Speaking of the score, it is also very well done, fitting the mood many times, and never distracts from the killings. In fact, sometimes the killing or scare happens while the music is still playing, which makes it scarier. Also, all the actors do their very best. Michael Myers is a very effective villain. He is a silent, but deadly killer, clearly able to bid his time, and plan to ensure that he could psychotically kill this random assortment of teenagers. The low budget actually serves the films suburban setting quite well, with authentic looking houses, which never feel cheap.
I do have a few problems with the movie. It does get very slow towards the middle and the first half of the end, when Myers simply stalks his victims. While this has its share of creepy moments, it largely drags on for a little bit. Also, Dr. Loomis doesn't seem to have much consequence until the very end. Hell, you could cut him out of the movie, and reshot it, so that Myers escapes undetected, and Laurie herself shots Myers, and you basically lose nothing in the main plot.
Overall, a very chilling and intense film, one which solidifies John Carpenter as one of the most influential directors, and stands head and shoulders over its imitators. If you want a chilling and intense film, give this a watch. Next week, I take a look at the sequel.
On Halloween day, 1963, 6 year old Michael Myers (Will Saldin) murders his older sister Judith (Sandy Johnson), and is forced to spend his life in an insane asylum. Years later, on Halloween Night, 1978, his psychaitrist Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) witnesses his escape, and is able to determine that he will head to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. There, a young girl Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) made plans to babysit her neighbor Tommy Doyle (Brian Andrews). In the background, Myers is stalking her using a car he stole from a farmer, after he spies Laurie in front of his old residence. Eventually, as night falls, Laurie is babysitting Tommy, while her friend Annie Brackett babysits a girl across the street, all while Myers watches. Meanwhile, Loomis and Anne's father Leigh (Charles Cyphers) try to locate Myers in the community. After Annie dumps her child, Lindsay Wallace (Kyle Richards) with Laurie, Myers makes his first move, strangling Annie in her car as she is going out to see her boyfriend. After Laurie's other friend Lynda van der Klook (P. J. Soles) and her boyfriend Bob arrive at the Wallace residence to.. ahem "frolick" around as it were, Myers offs them as well. Eventually, Laurie tucks the children in, and goes across the street, where she finally encounters Myers, who dumps her down the stairs. She survives and after failing to get help from a neighbor, goes back to the Doyle house, and instructs Tommy to lock their door. However, Myers infiltrates that house, and the two struggle, before Laurie is able to seemingly kill him. However, just as Laurie is calming down the kids, he climbs up the stairs, and engages her again. After she seemingly kills him again, he rises again, and almost kills her. However, she shakes him off, briefly reveals his face (which is very normal, despite the letters)and Dr. Loomis (tipped off by Tommy and Lindsay after Laurie instructs them to go find help) shots Myers over a window. However, when he looks down from said window, he has vanished....
Okay, first off, this was terrifying. It had a number of effective scares, which stems from its excellent use of tension. Every scene builds its tension, slowly building up the kill, and then catching you by surprise when it does happen. You know it's going to happen, but you are biting your nails waiting for it to happen. That is how you create an intense jumpscare. Not making fakeout scares, which will create mild surprise by causing a spike in the score, which subsides very quickly, like most of modern horror does. Speaking of the score, it is also very well done, fitting the mood many times, and never distracts from the killings. In fact, sometimes the killing or scare happens while the music is still playing, which makes it scarier. Also, all the actors do their very best. Michael Myers is a very effective villain. He is a silent, but deadly killer, clearly able to bid his time, and plan to ensure that he could psychotically kill this random assortment of teenagers. The low budget actually serves the films suburban setting quite well, with authentic looking houses, which never feel cheap.
I do have a few problems with the movie. It does get very slow towards the middle and the first half of the end, when Myers simply stalks his victims. While this has its share of creepy moments, it largely drags on for a little bit. Also, Dr. Loomis doesn't seem to have much consequence until the very end. Hell, you could cut him out of the movie, and reshot it, so that Myers escapes undetected, and Laurie herself shots Myers, and you basically lose nothing in the main plot.
Overall, a very chilling and intense film, one which solidifies John Carpenter as one of the most influential directors, and stands head and shoulders over its imitators. If you want a chilling and intense film, give this a watch. Next week, I take a look at the sequel.
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